This summer has been relaxing and busy all at the same time. It’s been nice to chill out at the house, but today I found myself reminiscing about our family vacation last year. We spent the week at Dollywood and it was absolutely amazing!
My favorite activity was at the water park! I like to swim in clean water I can see through, and the lazy river is my jam. We rode every slide, swam in every pool, and enjoyed each moment together!
Towards the end of the day, we found a resting spot over at one of the kiddie pools. It was a wave pool that started off with no depth and gradually built up to 4ish (maybe 5ish) feet. Lifeguards were everywhere and kept a sharp eye on the kiddos so it was time to sit and chill out for a minute.
While still watching like a hawk, of course. Mommy’s are talented like that.
I was relaxing the day away when my crazy little man came running to my chair, ‘Mommy you have to come swim with me.’
I didn’t really want to because I was zonked after floating on the lazy river all day. It’s extremely exhausting, you know.
Then I hear, ‘Mommy, pleeeeeeeease.’
It was too much for this Mommy’s heart, so I immediately followed along.
As we waded deeper and deeper, little man asked to be picked up. He promptly explained that I would need to carry him out to the deep end because he ‘keeps drownding.’
“DROWND – DING” ……. That’s how it sounded, but I have no clue how you’d spell it. Don’t you love all their creative words when they’re little?
I asked him to explain how he ‘drownd-ded,’ when he’d only been in the shallow part. He explained that he almost bit the dust when he went down the water slide.
Now, let me explain the scene here.
There were two big slides that emptied out at the bottom of a shallow pool. The water wasn’t deep, it’s just that the gushing water from the slide would push each swimmer down a bit before the lifeguards reached out to help them maneuver the waves.
There was no reason for me to be there since the lifeguards had everything under control, but my baby bear needed me. So that’s where I stood.
Little man came down the slide and hit the water with a big splash while the lifeguard immediately swiped him my direction. He laughed and coughed as I lifted him up into the air,
‘See Mommy, I drownd-ed just a little’
He immediately wriggled out of my arms and ran back to the top of the slide. Fearlessly, he tackled the gushing waves again and again.
Somedays I feel like I’m drowning just a little. My response is not laughter.
I know you’ve been there with me.
The bills are behind, dinner is burnt, or you are late for an important event…………
The sink is leaking, laundry is behind, and you didn’t get the promotion……….
You’ve lost a loved one, damaged a friendship, or broken a promise……….
Maybe your just having a bad hair day and wore two different shoes to work.
Yes, I did that once.
Sometimes we feel we’ve been hit by a big wave, and sometimes we accidentally get a little water in our nose.
Either way, it feels like drowning.
Little man was able to enjoy the slide because he knew I was waiting and watching for him. He knew I would catch him if the lifeguard missed.
We can enjoy life because God is always waiting and watching for us.
We know He will always catch us when we feel like we are ‘drownding’ a little.
